The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has announced that his office is preparing to prosecute Percival Kofi Akpaloo, leader of the Liberal Party of Ghana, together with two others, over alleged financial crimes linked to a COCOBOD-funded contract.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, December 22, Dr Ayine said the case was triggered by a suspicious transaction report filed by First Bank Ghana Limited and flagged by the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC). The report related to unusual account activity involving Pomaa Universal Ghana Limited, a company associated with Mr Akpaloo.
Following the alert, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) commenced investigations, which revealed that Pomaa Universal Ghana Limited is a legitimate company owned by a woman identified as Akua Pomaa. The firm was awarded a COCOBOD feeder roads contract in December 2020, valued at GH¢29.5 million.
According to the Attorney-General, the contract was initially executed without incident, with early payments properly lodged into Pomaa Universal Ghana Limited’s bank account. However, investigators later detected irregularities in how subsequent payments were handled, raising red flags about misrepresentation, forgery, and unauthorized diversion of funds.
Dr Ayine disclosed that investigations uncovered a deliberate scheme allegedly orchestrated by Mr Akpaloo. He explained that the politician secretly incorporated a separate company with a deceptively similar name—Pomaaah Ghana Limited, distinguished only by the addition of the letter “H”. Between December 2022 and June 2024, Mr Akpaloo allegedly collected eight payment cheques issued by COCOBOD in the name of Pomaa Universal Ghana Limited, amounting to GH¢3,169,432.22, and deposited them into the account of Pomaaah Ghana Limited at First Bank Ghana Limited.
The Attorney-General said EOCO’s findings indicate that Akua Pomaa was completely unaware of both the existence of Pomaaah Ghana Limited and the redirection of the funds. Her awareness of the matter only arose in June 2024, when COCOBOD contacted her to inquire about outstanding balances on the contract. It was at that point, Dr Ayine said, that she discovered payments had been collected and diverted without her authorisation.
Further compounding the case, the Attorney-General revealed that Akua Pomaa has alleged that her signature on the COCOBOD contract was forged. The contract document, according to investigators, was executed using her former name, Mercy Owusu, without her knowledge or consent.
Dr Ayine added that First Bank Ghana Limited conducted an independent internal investigation after the matter came to light. The bank’s findings, he said, corroborated EOCO’s conclusions, confirming that Mr Akpaloo knowingly misrepresented ownership of the cheques and deposited them into an account that was not entitled to receive the funds.
The suspects named in the case are Percival Kofi Akpaloo, Pomaaah Ghana Limited, and Delvin Akpaloo, the wife of Mr Akpaloo. The Attorney-General stated that the evidence points to the commission of multiple offences, including stealing, forgery, and money laundering.
Dr Ayine concluded by stating that the Attorney-General’s Department will formally file charges once official work resumes after the Christmas holidays. He stressed that the case forms part of a broader effort by the state to protect public funds, enforce accountability, and ensure that political influence does not shield individuals from the full application of the law.
